Eat to grow longer and faster — hit a wall or your own tail and it's over
Score: 0Lv.1
Best Run
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A short history of Snake
Snake traces back to the 1976 arcade game Blockade, but what turned it into a global phenomenon was the version Nokia started shipping on its feature phones in 1997. Almost every Nokia handset of that era had it built in, making Snake the first video game millions of people ever played. The rules need no explanation at all: steer a snake, eat, grow longer, and never hit your own body or the wall.
Why it stays fun
Snake's staying power comes from a difficulty curve built straight into the mechanics. The longer your snake grows, the less safe space you have to move through, and the speed creeps up with every piece of food you eat. You end up planning routes in real time with a shrinking reaction window — that gradual squeeze is the same thing that makes so many classic arcade games work.
How to play
On desktop, steer with the arrow keys (↑↓←→); on a phone or tablet, use the D-pad below the board. The snake keeps moving in its current direction on its own. Eating the red food grows you by one segment, adds a point, and nudges the speed up slightly. Running into the edge of the board or into your own body ends the game.
Tips for a higher score
Circle along the outer edge of the board and keep the middle free as a buffer rather than charging straight through the centre early on. Decide where you're turning next before you get there — once the snake is long, planning your route a few moves ahead matters far more than quick reflexes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Snake?
Steer the snake with the arrow keys or the on-screen direction pad. Eating food makes the snake one segment longer and scores a point. Hitting a wall or your own body ends the run, so the goal is to eat as much as possible without crashing into anything.
Why does the snake keep speeding up?
Every piece of food you eat nudges the movement speed up a little. That's the classic Snake design: the snake gets longer and faster at the same time, so the challenge keeps rising instead of the game sitting at one difficulty and getting dull.
How do I steer on a phone?
There's a D-pad below the board — just tap the direction you want to turn, no keyboard required. On desktop you can use the arrow keys (↑↓←→) instead, and you can switch between the two input methods at any time.
Can I turn 180 degrees on the spot?
No. The snake can't reverse straight back on itself — pressing left while moving right does nothing. That's the standard Snake rule, and it mirrors the fact that a real snake can't instantly turn into its own body. The restriction is part of what makes the game strategic.
Where did Snake come from?
The concept goes back to the 1976 arcade game Blockade. It went global in the 1990s when it shipped built into Nokia feature phones, becoming the first video game many people ever touched, and the simple, endlessly replayable formula has carried across to every platform since.